2 Vehicle’s Static Stability (3) If center of gravity does not lie above base of support, when tipped: – Gravitational potential energy decreases – Acceleration is away from equilibrium and vehicle or object does not return to equilibrium, it tips over . Therefore vehicle or object is : “is statically unstable”, or is “in an unstable equilibrium”. Tips over to a new stable equilibrium Energy becomes smaller in this direction mgh Tricycle: statically stable Bicycle: statically unstable You can also understand this using torque Stationary Vehicles: • Tricycles – have 3 contact points – are statically stable and hard to tip over •B

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